(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that is capable of performing per-user job management, a job management method used by the image processing apparatus, and a recording medium having recorded thereon a job management program.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In offices or the likes, an image processing apparatus such as a copier and a printer is generally shared by a plurality of users. In such a usage environment, in order to manage execution load of jobs requested by each user, the image processing apparatus has, for example, a structure in which an upper limit of the execution load is set for each user so as to cancel or suspend a job that exceeds the upper limit.
Specifically, a print system disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-216244 has the following structure for preventing users from exceeding the upper limit of a printable number of copies which has been set for each user: When a printer receives a print job from a user as a job issuer, the printer acquires the remaining printable number permitted for the job issuer from a database, and judges whether to permit execution of the print job based on whether or not the remaining printable number is sufficient for executing the job.
Also, an image processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2003-244355 has the following structure: For outputting image data, the image processing apparatus suspends the output of the image data if a count value reaches a maximum count value that has been set previously; The image data is to be temporarily stored such that the job can be resumed when the maximum count value is set again.
However, in the conventional image processing apparatuses, the count value is stored as a historic record as to only jobs that have been already executed, for the purpose of judging whether to permit execution of a job.
Accordingly, when reviewing the management data, an administrator or the like of the image processing apparatus can not grasp the exact execution load of jobs actually requested by users. As a result, inconveniently, it is impossible to configure precise job management conditions that fulfill users' demand.